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26 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATE VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3 Rapheal Davis 35 6-6 • G • Sr. The Boilermaker senior is obviously its most important leader and perimeter defender and thus profoundly valuable, but Purdue needs more from him at the offensive end than it got vs. Butler. He's been a consistent scorer this season, but he didn't play with the sort of level head you might expect from such an experienced player. In his defense, very few Boilermakers did. On D, Bulldog top scorer Kellen Dunham was held without a field goal, a credit to Davis' defense, but also a reflection of Dunham being off. Key Stat: Davis is shooting a team-best 47.8 percent from three-point range this season. He shot 30 percent last season, though he was better during the Big Ten season. Caleb Swanigan 50 6-9 • F • Fr. The turnovers must be kept to a minimum and there remains defensive improvement to make, but the Boilermaker freshman has lived up to his billing this season and keeps getting better. He's the Big Ten's leading rebounder and coming off a game against Butler in which he scored 25 and gave his team late life with back-to-back clutch three-pointers. Look out, because the best may be yet to come. Key Stat: Swanigan's 25 and 11 against Butler marked his fifth double-double of the season and sixth double-digit rebounding game. Vince Edwards 12 6-8 • F • So. The sophomore wing has been a rock-steady presence for Purdue all season in the ultimate complementary role, but when he's not playing well, the Boilermakers seem to feel it. Edwards' decision-making is very important to what Purdue does, as its leader in assists, an important ball- handler and opportunistic scorer. He has launched a few quick shots lately, which is unlike him. But his total body of work this season is an outstanding one. Key Stat: Edwards' 43 assists are a team-high. He was No. 1 last season as a freshman, becoming the program's first-ever non-guard to lead his team in that category. P.J. Thompson 3 5-10 • G • So. Much improved over last season, the sophomore has solidified himself as Purdue's No. 1 point guard and given the Boilermakers a reliable presence at their most questioned position coming into the season. He's never going to be a star — and Purdue doesn't need him to be — but he's taken care of the basketball, made some big shots, impacted opponents defensively and just been solid. That's the best way to put it. Key Stat: Thompson has turned the ball over only six times in 251 minutes this season. Isaac Hass 44 7-2 • C • So. Purdue's leading scorer and maybe its most impactful player overall through the early portion of the season, he's coming off a game against Butler in which he struggled more so than he has in any other game this year. He's going to be a target with the ball in his hands in the post. He has handled the attention well most of the season. Against Butler, he didn't. But he is a significantly better than now than he was a year ago. Key Stat: Haas is shooting 74.2 percent from the foul line, up from the 54.7 percent he shot as a freshman. 26 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED Purdue Men's Lineup — Brian Neubert